Buckle.



No. 648,356. Patented Apr. 24, 1900.

A. D. FIELD.

BUCKLE.

' (Appliqation tiled Jan. 14, 189B.) (nu nod-el.)

WITNESSES: mvENToR ATTORNEYS TNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

ALBERT D. FIELD, OE wATERRURY, CONNECTICUT, AssIeNOR To THE sHOE HARDWARE COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE..

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent 648,356, dated-April 24, 19O.

Application tiled January 14, 1898. Serial No. 666,618. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. FIELD, a resident of Waterbury, New Haven county, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Buckles, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to buckles, and more particularly to that Class known as shoebuckles.

Heretofore in the manufacture of buckles of the character to which my invention relates it was necessary because of .the construction of the buckles to submit them to several operations in assembling the partsor in uniting the tongues to the body-plates.

The object of my invention is to overcome the disadvantages heretofore found and to provide a simple and eiiicient buckle which can be manufactured at small cost and wherein the parts can be assembled at one opera-V In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters represent corresponding parts in the various views, Figure l is a plan View of a buckle, with its cooperating fasteningloop, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same,showing the tongue in the unlocked position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the parts in the locked position. Fig. 4 is a lower face view of the buckle with the fastening-loop removed.

The body-plate A. of my improved buckle is preferably, though not necessarily, made of a single piece and is struck up or formed with a central spring a, separated from the side arms b by slits c. The entire central spring a is preferably depressed below they upper surface of the body-plate, asindicated at d, so as to throw the spring below the upper surface of the buckle and not to present any abutment or contact edge which will extend into the path of the fastening-loop B when the latter is moved in the act of locking and unlocking the buckle. The side arms b afford bearings for the pivots of the vibrating tongue C. Thesebearings are preferably i formed by striking up a pocket or recess e in each of the arms b and turning the free end's of the arms back against themselves, thus forming pockets which are adapted to surround the pivots f of the hook-like take-up tongue C and prevent the tongue from being disconnected from the body-plate. It will be observed that by forming the bearings or the pivots of the take-up tongue in the manner described the pockets c are extended below the lower surface of the body-plate and below the lower face of the central spring a, so that the axisof the pivots of the tongue is below the central spring a, notwithstanding said spring is depressed below the upper surface of the body-plate. The tongue C is provided with a finger g, eccentric to the axis of the pivots f. This finger extends toward the inner portion or loop of the tongue in such a manner that the said finger will be out of contact with and relieved from all strain of the spring a when the tongue is in the releasing position. (Represented in Fig. 2.) In this figure it will be Observed that the tongue is entirely free to vibrate from the full-line position to the dotted-line position before any tension is exerted by the central spring a. This enables the wearer of the buckle to readily place the fastening-loop over the end of the tongue and to move the tongue to the position represented in Fig. 3, to tighten the parts, and to lock the buckle by exerting but little pressure, while the tongue C is entirely free from strain of the central spring a when the tongue is in the open position. It will be observed that the opposite is true when the tongue is in the locked position. (Represented in Fig. 3.)

In this position the central spring exerts its' greatest force to maintain the tongue against movement, and no movement of the tongue can take place in this position without overcoming the tension of the spring.

The supporting portion h of the take-up tongue C extends forward of the pivots thereof when the tongue is closed, so that when strain is exerted thereon by the fasteningloop it will be a drawing strain in almost direct line with the pivots of the tongue.

In addition to the above structural advantages of a buckle made in accordance with IOO ' my invention there are advantages in manufacture by which I am enabled to produce a Abetter buckle at considerably less cost than heretofore. In shoe-buckles heretofore made it has been found necessary to submit, thev buckles'to some four or five operations in order to complete them. Thus itwas necesl sary,among other things,to assemble the'parts tongue, therefore, could not be held secure against movement inthe locked position. Such buckleswould therefore 'be unreliable and inefficient.

In accordance with my invention I amenabled to assemble the parts with the tongue in the position shown in Fig. 2, wherein there is no tension -whatever exerted bythe as yet untempered spring a. The ends of the arms b are turned so `that the pockets e will Vinc lose thepivots fof the tongue.

l body part of the buckle and its spring. Thus Vto make of non-.tempering metal; but it could v importance. It will be clear that by assemsus it requires but one operation to assemble the parts and another to produce the finished buckle by tempering. It will therefore be seen that by my invention I am enabled to produce a better buckle` than-heretofore at less expense. I wish to state that after the parts are assembled as in Fig. 2 and/while Y,the spring is free from strain I temper those parts which I wish to harden. I make, by preference, the body-plate A and its spring or of tempering metal. The tongueC, I prefer also be made of tempering metal. The fact that'by this construction I am enabled' to temper the unstrained spring of the vbuckle afterthe parts are assembled is of the'utmost bling the parts before.v tempering I am fully able to bend the plate A into pockets, which I could not properly d o after spring-tempering;` By tempering after assembling the parts I am able to have the spring a ofv one piece with the body-plate.

I-Iavingdescribed my invention, what lI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.-.

' A1. A shoe-buckle comprising a'body-plate,

-a spring formed integral therewith, a hook,

like take-up tongue pivoted to said bodyplate andhaving the supporting portion of said take-up tongue extended forward of the lpivots thereof when the tongue is closed, vthe said spring resting-- upon a portion ofthe tongue above the pivots thereof and coperatingv with the tongue to exert a downward and to entirely relieve said tongue from pressure when the tongue is open and a fastening- I now temper the.`

loop adapted to pass over said take-up tongue and to coperate with it to secure the parts in the locked position.

. 2. A shoe-buckle comprising a body-plate, a spring therefor, a hook-like take-up tongue pivoted to said body-plate and having the supporting :portion of said take-up tongue extended forward ofthe pivots thereof when .the tongue is closed, the axis of the pivots of saidtongue being below said spring, a finger on said tongue which projects upwardly and .at an angle to the plane ofthe body-plate when fthe tongue is closed, the said spring coperating with thefinger to exert a downward pressure thereon when the tongue is closed and to be entirely out of contact with said finger when the tongue is open` and a fastening `loop adapted to pass over said tongue and to coperate with it to secure the parts in the locked position.

3. A shoe-buckle comprising a body-plate having an integral central spring-tongue, side arms provided with depressed pockets, the

Vpocket-containing portions of said arms being turned back on the arms to provide bearings entirely below the lower face of the bodyplate, avibrating hook-like take-up tongue whose pivots are contained within said bearings below the spring-tongue, the supporting portion of said take-up tongue being extended forward of thepivots thereof when the tongue is closed, and a fastening-loop adapted to pass over said takeup tongue and to coperate with it to secure the parts in the locked position. 'i Y 4. A shoe-buckle comprising a body-plate having an integral central spring-tongue, side arms provided with depressed pockets, the

pocket-containin g portions of ,saidl arms being turned back on the arms to provide pivot-bearings below'the lower face of the spring-tongue, a vibrating hook-likeA take-up tongue whose pivots are contained within and surrounded by said bearings, the supporting portion of said take-up tongue being extended forward of the pivots thereof when the tongue is closed, a finger vcarried by said take-up tongue and adapted to coperate with the spring to exert a pressure upon the finger when the tongue is closed and to relieve the iinger from pressure when the tongue is open and a fasteningloop adapted to pass overthe ltake-up tongue and to cooperate with it to secure the parts in the locked position.

5. A shoe-buckle comprising a body-plate struck up from a single piece, said body-plate having a central spring formed integral therewith and downwardly'depressed throughout the entire extent thereof, side arms provided with depressed pockets, the pocket-containing portions of said side arms being turned `back on the arms to provide pivot-bearings entirely below the lower face of the spring v and below the lower face of the buckle, a vipressure thereon when the tongue is closed IOO brating hook-like take-up tongue whose pivots are contained within said bearings and belowthe spring and the supporting portion' of which tongue is forward of the pivots thereof when the tongue is closed, a nger carried by the tongue to one side of the axis of the pivots thereof, said nger projecting upwardly toward the spring and at an angle to the body-plate When the tongue is closed and being adapted to coperate with the spring to exert apressure on the nger when the tongue is closed and to relieve the inger from pressure when the tongue is open and a fastening- Io loop adapted to pass over the take-up tongue and to cooperate Withvit to secure the parts in the locked position.

ALBERT D. FIELD.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. MORSE, MAURICE BLOCK. 

